Semua Bab The Billionaire's Substitute Bride : Bab 31 - Bab 40

SOPHIA A single moment to cherish.The guest house was silent, wrapped in the soft hum of night. Outside, the distant chirping of crickets filled the air, but inside, everything was still. Too still.My body weighed heavily with exhaustion as I sat on the edge of the bed, but my mind wouldn’t let me rest. The events of the night played in a never-ending loop behind my eyes—the kidnapping, the explosion, Ricci dragging me out of the wreckage as though I were something worth saving.I hugged myself like it would be enough to keep the memories away. But nothing could shake the feeling of helplessness that had burrowed deep within my bones.A door clicked closed behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was Ricci. He loomed like a sacred tree, tall and implacable. His gaze settled on me, heavy, assessing, calculating, But there was no edge of icy detachment this once. Only quiet concern.“You should be in bed,” he said in a whisper.I let out a dry laugh. “I can’t.”I felt the

SOPHIA Burning Hot and Cold.I stared into his eyes as his touch sent an electric current down my spine, forming a tight knot at the pit of my stomach."You are late again," I whispered, even if I knew he had always come back by this time. I needed something to pull me from the force his presence held."Did you wait long?" he asked, his fingers still grazing my cheek softly.I took a step backward, going out of his reach, swallowing deeply."Oh no," I said and walked away, wanting to create some distance between me and Ricci. I watched as he pulled his coat off and loosened his tie, every movement catching my eyes.Did I really hate this man, or was hating him just something that had become my life mission?"What is it?" he asked. His eyes were darker now and cold like he'd just caught himself. He was starting to hide behind those walls-walls that I didn't care enough to let down."I heard you were threatening to fire the staff," I said. I watched as he clenched his jaw. He walked t

RICCI A dance in danger."You're really going?" Mike asked, and I ruffled my hair. I didn't want to go. I didn't. I wanted to be at home, holding Sophia in my arms, loving the way she felt snuggled against me. But I couldn't tell him that, so I nodded.We were at my office, seated on the sofa chairs. Mike sat across from me. He had a worried expression on his face."Those guys work with the underground mafia, Ricci. Those guys killed Luther," I shot back, and he stood up."You can't go to start the fight. You might get killed."I was aware of that, and I said quietly, "This wouldn't have been a problem if it was something legal." I had men at my Beck and call, but openly associating with the underground world was not how I wanted to live. I hoped that someday I would be able to walk out freely and live a normal life, just after my goal had been achieved-a goal I'd been pursuing for the last five years."I'll be gone longer than usual this time, Mike," I said to him."If word gets o

RICCI Darkness at The terminal.I stood at the terminal, waiting for Rick and the boys to gather. Slowly, I walked toward the abandoned building site I had called Terminal. It was meant to be the warehouse for some of my goods, but it had been abandoned for some time—for some reason, I didn't care to explain.I took out a box of cigarettes from my pocket. Taking a stick, I lit it and drew in the intoxicating smoke. With a sigh, I let it out. Clouds of smoke hovered around the air.Just then, I heard a footstep. I turned to see Rick coming toward me. His shoulders sagged like he bore a heavy weight."Boss," he said.I pulled out the cigarette from my mouth and nodded."What happened here?" I asked, and I could see fear set in his eyes. I walked toward him slowly, each step I took measured and calculated. He looked like he was going to disappear at any moment."I—" he was saying."If Luther died, you are supposed to be dead too," I said, grabbing his collar."Please, please," he begged

RICCI Back from hell.I walked into the mansion with a briefcase in hand and a traveling bag with me. The flight had been exhausting; the darkness that seemed to linger had mounted a pressure on me that I couldn't explain.I sighed as I stepped into the house, looking over to search for Sophia. Has she been fine since I traveled? I really wanted to ask her, but I didn’t feel worthy enough to face her.“Welcome, sir!“ I heard a jolly voice, and I looked up. Isabella greeted me, but I was too tired to respond.I took my things off to the room and took off my shirt without a second thought as I sat at the edge of the bed, eyes glued to the mirror that showed my reflection.But...All I saw was darkness looming over and shadows creeping in. I feared the latter because even when I closed my eyes, I could still hear it—The sound of men yelling, bullets fired everywhere.And yet Luther still remained dead.The only source to finding what I'd been in search of.The weight of his loss presse